wrote (July 15, 2007):
I received the message below from Michael Lawrence about a new Bach film.
I thought you might find it interesting.

********************************************Here is the latest on the Bach project.

João Carlos Martins called and we have selected some 1994 footage of him performing the Prelude #5 from Book 1 of the WTC for the film. I will film an interview with João Carlos in New York in September. Also, I was contacted by the Washington Bach Consort and they have offered to allow filming of their upcoming performances for the production.

Last week I got a call from Leon Fleisher and we had a very pleasant and detailed talk about the film. Leon liked the personal nature of the film's structure and said the premise was an attractive one for him. He wanted to know who would be in the documentary and was curious to know what piece Charles Rosen would be playing for the film - which is the six-part ricercare from A Musical Offering (BWV 1079).

Leon suggested that he might be interested in playing the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue (BWV 903) or my favourite, the Capriccio in Bb for the production. He did not think one of the transcriptions that he performs would be appropriate. Leon also mentioned that filming in his home studio with his 9 foot concert grand might be best. Leon said that he would get back to me when he returns to Baltimore at the end of July.

July 5, 2007 Press Release

Michael Lawrence Films has begun production on a new film on Johann Sebastian Bach.

Hilary Hahn, Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck, João Carlos Martins, and Matt Haimovitz have all agreed to be in Michael Lawrence's new film on J.S. Bach. In addition, Bobby McFerrin has expressed an interested in doing a duet with Béla Fleck for the documentary. Yo-Yo Ma, Dave Brubeck and Leon Fleisher have also expressed an interest in appearing in the production. What started as a small personal and local film for Mr. Lawrence has blossomed into a major national and international production.

An Emmy nominated filmmaker, Michael Lawrence has written, produced, and directed over twenty documentaries, including productions for PBS, CNN and HBO. His films have been honoured by awards from major film festivals around the world.

Johann Sebastian Bach's music has always been a very personal experience for Michael Lawrence who is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music. He decided to approach this film in the same way with the primary focus on world-class Bach players performing one favourite Bach piece - not so much as a performance but rather allowing the audience to share in the performer's experience with the music. Each performer will also film an intimate interview that will explore the player's personal feelings about the piece, reflections on Bach as well as comments and stories concerning Bach - the man, his music and his influence.

As the project grew and developed, Mr. Lawrence decided to expand the perspective of the documentary. Bach scholar Christoph Wolff will do an interview for the film as will Sid Meyer who wrote the computer program CPU Bach. Joshua Rifkin is also considering granting an interview for the production.

Due to the support of Tim Page the Washington Post Pulitzer Prize-Winning music critic, David Posen, attorney for the Glenn Gould estate has opened up the entire Gould archive for use in the film. Also materials from the Rosalyn Tureck archive are also available due to the help of Teri Noel Towe and Michael Charry.

Production will begin in August with Felix Hell, the acclaimed young German Bach player performing on the Holtkamp organ at Peabody. Charles Rosen is enthusiastic about appearing in the film and will perform the six-part fugue or ricercare from A Musical Offering. Manuel Barrueco will play and comment on the G minor fugue from the first sonata for unaccompanied violin.

Michael Lawrence especially wants this film to reach out to young people who have almost completely disassociated themselves from classical music. By including Felix Hell (20 years old), Hilary Hahn (27 years old) and Matt Haimovitz, who often plays in rock clubs, Mr. Lawrence hopes to rekindle the love of Bach in young music lovers. Peter Schickele of PDQ Bach, who will also appear in the film, said, "it is about time someone did an out-of-the-box film on Bach."

"I have looked at dozens of films on Bach and not even one is truly engaging or worthy of the master," said Mr. Lawrence. With a little luck, he hopes this production will fill that void. Mr. Lawrence is currently seeking the additional funding needed for the expanded production.

wrote (July 16, 2007):
[To Aryeh Oron] I'm only too delighted to hear about this project!

As to whether there are Bach films worthy of the master, it is traditional to be critical of one's competition before the project gets underway, but Swinging Bach, the Bobby McFerrin entry is not bad at all, neither are any of the Bach DVDs. Only the Bobby McFerrin DVD even tries to touch on a large variety of Bach opuses (opera?) we must grant, except for The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach.

Unfortunately, artists who are left out of the project will probably be thoroughly disappointed!

I think it's a wonderful idea. I thoroughly endorse Bela Fleck's participation; I just had to have his CD when I heard it. I wish they would also consider Brian Slawson, one of many percussionists who adore doing Bach. (Gosh, I just would not have the nerve to start a project like this; I would be too anxious about leaving too many people out! For instance, though Yo-yo Ma's Simply Baroque was just wonderful, I don't know really what he could add to a project like this. On the other hand, Lukas Foss's Art of Fuguing has some fabulous movements, which might be hard to incorporate into a visual medium, such as a film.)

As far as appealing to younger listeners, I wonder how much can really be done. How much, for example, did Amadeus (the movie) do for Mozart? Is the word definitively in on that? Perhaps what is needed now is a combination of the sorts of Bach music that would catch the imagination of younger folks, together with a movie with more personal interest, e.g. something on the lines of the A-M Bach movie, but less apologetic. Youthful imaginations are fired by personalities rather than abstractions, imo.

Bach Film

Michael Lawrence

wrote (July 28, 2007):
[To Aryeh Oron] Here is the latest on production for the Bach Film.

We begin filming with Felix Hell at Peabody on August 19th. Teri Towe went to Felix's NTC Trinity Church concert yesterday and said it was a big success. He opened the program with Bach's Prelude and Fugue in D Major. The fugue is the piece Felix will play for the film. Here is a link to the video:

Also, I will shoot Hilary Hahn sometime in August.

João Carlos Martins is flying specifically to Baltimore for his filming which we will do either September 8 or 9. Matt Haimovitz is set for October 11th in Arlington at the Iota Club.

I just today realized I could sign up for you email mailing lists which I did. I guess I missed you posting an announcement for the film on your lists. Please send me a copy when you get a chance. Teri Towe said he would also post to his list.

João Carlos Martins, who was suggested for the film by Dave Brubeck, will fly into Baltimore at his own expense to do an interview next Sunday at the Peabody Conservatory. He is also providing archival footage of his performance of the D Major Prelude and Fugue from Book one of the Well Tempered Clavichord. We will also film João Carlos giving a lesson to a student that Leon Fleisher has recommended.

Other filming dates are falling into place. On October 11th, we film Matt Haimovitz at the Iota Club in Arlington Virginia. Then we film Manuel Barrueco in his home performing the G minor fugue from the first violin sonata on October 29th.

wrote (November 17, 2007):
[To Aryeh Oron] I've been invited to show a sample reel of the Bach project at the prestigious EG'07 conference in LA Dec 2-4: Bach Film Sample Reel at EG'07

I have been busy cutting the sample reel and will get you a description for you web page when I return. I hope t raise some funds there for the Bach project. I now have a fiscal sponsor, The Handel Choir of Baltimore so donations can go to a 501(c)(3). A donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has come forward and offered to match any funds given to the project.

The terrific young Bach , Simone Dinnerstein has come aboard the Bach project. Her recent recording of the Goldberg is the best I have heard since Glenn Gould and I love many, many other Goldberg recordings.Simone Dinnerstein

wrote (December 13, 2007):
[To Aryeh Oron] It was such an honor for the Bach Project to be featured at this year's EG'07 - Richard Saul Wurman's sequel to his landmark TED conferences. Attending and being a presenter at the conference was the experience of a lifetime.

What an amazing group of creative people! I met everyone from Steve Wozniak to Norman Corwin, Marvin Minsky and Bob Dylan's son Jesse. The eclectic group included quantum physicist Brian Greene, author Amy Tan, founder of the MIT Media Lab Nicholas Negroponte whose current project is the $100 computer for kids in developing nations, pianist Leon Fleisher came directly from receiving this year's Kennedy Center Award and performed for the group of five hundred attendees and the great Jonathan Winters brought the house down.

The ten-minute Bach sample reel was screened midday on the first day of the three day conference which was held at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Projected on a thirty-foot screen, the high definition sample of Bach footage looked as sharp as a tack and the quality of the sound was spectacular. It was very well received; and when the house lights came up, people were still applauding. After the screening, I gave a brief talk and mentioned the funding needs of the project.

I closed my presentation with the story of Carl Sagan asking Dr. Lewis Thomas what we should include in the Voyager 1 mission - the first probe to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Thomas suggested to Sagan, "I think we should send all of Bach - but of course we would be bragging." I ended the presentation by commenting that Voyager 1 has now left our solar system and is streaking through the Milky Way with Bach as our calling card.

A number of people came up to me after the screening offering to contribute to the project including John Abele, the founder and chairman of Boston Scientific. When I returned to Baltimore, I received an email from John saying that he will donate a significant amount to the project in an out right grant and also put up an even larger amount in matching funds. A check from the Argosy Foundation, his family foundation, will be sent to the Bach Project's non-profit sponsor The Handel Choir of Baltimore.

When the conference's founder Richard Saul Wurman gave his closing presentation, he mentioned only two of the fifty or so presentations - Negroponte's $100 computer and the Bach Project. Richard also mentioned that he appeared in my Library of Congress film many years ago and that he recently viewed the hour film and said it was as powerful today as it was fifteen years ago and urged everyone in the audience to have a look at Memory and Imagination: New Pathways to the Library of Congress.

With John Abele's generous support, the filming which had been at a standstill is off and running again. There are a lot of great Bach players that have agreed to be in the film and are waiting for a filming date. We start with Simone Dinnerstein in New York on December 18th.

wrote (January 4, 2008):
The Bach Project is off and running in 2008. Thanks to John Abele and the Argosy Foundation, initial funding is in place and matching funds are available for future donations.EG'07 Blog

wrote (December 22, 2008):
[To Teri Noel Towe] Many thanks for this, Teri. Sounds inspired. I love the idea of a child pianist coming and playing Bach to the residents of an elderly care home. The music mentioned (Chaconne, KdF, WTC, Goldbergs) will present Bach at his (almost) incomparable best and it sounds as if the film gets to the heart of what makes Bach's music so great...its universal appeal, its ability to heal all sorts of psychological hurt, even to save lives, its resilience to all sorts of treatments and to still speak. I can't wait for it to come out.

Santu de Silva

wrote (December 22, 2008):
[To Teri Noel Towe] I wonder whether we could come up with a structure for such a documentary?

I have found that different people --and this is not a huge discovery-- have different ways of appreciating Bach, ranging from the sheer uncritical pleasure in the music such as among the very young, for instance, who cannot articulate why they love it. They may not have the concepts and the vocabulary, but their enjoyment of Bach is none the lesser for that. As we go to music lovers of high school or college age, they attempt to put their appreciation into words, with various degrees of success. But individuals in this age group know themselves a lot better than younger folks, so they can reason along the lines of: "I know what I like, and I like Bach, so X must be why I love Bach."

As one grows older, I believe (and this is true for me), one once again gets less confident about why one loves Bach. I sometimes find myself weeping, listening to Bach, for no good reason at all. All good art appeals to our own personal history, or whatever about it is universal experience. Sometimes it is admiration of Bach the man, sometimes it is admiration of his methods, sometimes it is our reaction to Bach's response to some stimulus, such as the passing of a princess, or the purchase of a new and glorious instrument.

Then, when one is old, one sees the important things. One has perspective, and one knows that it is more important to hear the music and smell the roses quickly, than to analyze why the experience is important. Life is fleeting, and there's so many roses to smell!

Jean Laaninen

wrote (December 22, 2008):
[To Santu de Silva] When I listen to BWV 82a sung live by Anne-Katherine Olsen at ASU, the tears simply stream down my face, so I am partially in agreement with what you have said below. But I also find analysis fascinating--how Bach built the structure of his works, his choice for instrumentation, why he chose a soloist over a chorus to convey a particular message and visa versa. And I'll be 65 in January. That's old enough to have already lost friends along the way, and to know that I want to go on much longer exploring both the emotional uplift or serious moments, and to really engage my mind with the details. Dad recently turned 100, and one of the first things he said to me in a conversation by phone was, "I learned some new things today about..." Thanks for talking about the very personal side of the experience...it is wonderful. But don't give up on the analysis--it may prolong your life, IMO.

Santu de Silva wrote:"Here is a link to the article in today's Baltimore Sun about Michael Lawrence, who is making the documentary about Bach:
<> I wonder whether we could come up with a structure for such a documentary?"You can find the basic info about this movie at the page:http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Movie/F0020.htm
which also includes some cuts from the movie in process.
I believe that at the page:http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Movie/F0020-D.htm
you will find the answer to your question.

Joshua Bell and the Bach Project at EG'08

Michael Lawrence

wrote (December 23, 2008):
Hi Aryeh: EG was terrific this year. Mike Hawley did a great job of putting it together - especially in such tough times.

I ran into old friends and met some really interesting new people. Teller of Penn and Teller was there and I hadn't seen him since filming for my Library of Congress film. It ends up Joáo Carlos Martins is one of Teller's favorite Bach players. I put them in touch with each other.

I met Alvy Ray Smith, the co-founder of Pixar and he has put me in touch with Pixar's genius Loren Carpenter. There is a good shot of Loren doing some animation for the Bach Project - fractal zooms and Voyager 1 with Bach as our calling card streaming through the cosmos.

Also, I met several wonderful still photographers who did presentations and whom I am speaking with about using their portraits for a montage of the faces of humanity. I'm currently thinking of calling the film The Faces of Bach.

On the last day of EG'08, I gave a short talk on the progress that has been made with the Bach Project and ended with a quote from Dr. Lewis Thomas from my film The Shared Experience:

"The real surprises that set us back on our heels when they occur will always be the mutants. We have already had a few of them - sweeping across the field of human thought, periodically, like comets. Bach was able to do this. And what emerged in the current were primordia in music. In this sense, the Chaconne was for the evolving organism of human thought, feathered wings, opposing thumbs - new layers of frontal cortex."

Josh Bell then came up on the stage and played the Chaconne as well as I have ever heard it. Everyone was blown away.

When I got back from California, I had one day to do final preparations for the the last day of production. Friday we filmed with Philip Glass in his NYC studio and he was terrific. Philip's insight and love for Bach just radiated throughout his interview. His friend, cellist Wendy Sutter, played Philip's Chaconne from his new composition for unaccompanied cello, Songs and Poems. This will be the only piece in the film not written by Bach. Mort Meyerson and Sally Rosenthal visited and watched some of the filming.

After I take a breather for the holidays, I will go to work on the final film. I hope to have it done by summer.

wrote (February 12, 2009):
Hi Aryeh: The Bach Project has come a very long way since it was launched at EG'07. This magical journey was only possible because of such a broad and shared love for the music of the great one - Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition to the wonderful Bach players who took a chance to join this effort, there are so many other advisors and supporters who have helped make this happen.

Over the last year or so, we have completed 36 shoots in 30 days of production. The crew has done a terrific job. Though working at greatly reduced rates, they all feel it is among the finest work of their careers. Shot in High Definition Video using the finest state-of-the-art equipment, the finished documentary will look and sound as good as any high-quality national production.

The crew and I have traveled to Nashville, Raleigh and on many occasions up to New York. All this has been accomplished with the $100,000 that has been generously donated to the Bach Project. The quantity and quality of the footage is quite extraordinary for this size budget. And the spectacular array of outstanding Bach players is well beyond my wildest dreams.

The production phase is now completed and the job of editing this wondrous and massive amount of material into a moving and meaningful narrative has begun. Though I work alone on my home editing system, I have many co-contributors and advisers to this enormous effort.

Loren Carpenter, the computer genius behind Pixar, is creating an animation section specifically for the Bach Project. Philip Johnson is contributing his dazzling morphing animation technique to the faces of Bach from Teri Towe's historical portraits as well as to the faces of the film's many participants. Here is a link to Philip Johnson's morphing technique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdzkSP9ewY&feature=related

I am also fortunate to have many very talented advisers who have and will continue to offer ideas and suggestions as the editing progresses. I hope to have the feature length documentary completed this summer. The final DVD will also include a bonus video section with complete uninterrupted performances. In many instances this will be the first time the artist has recorded the piece. One example is Josh Bell's performance of Bach's greatest masterpiece, the Chaconne, which he has never before recorded. Also, Hilary Hahn has never recorded the Grave and Fugue that she played for the film.

Each day I receive emails from people around the world who have visited the Bach web pages and are moved and reinvigorated in their love for Bach. Just yesterday I received an email from a pioneering geneticist who said, "The Bach Project is inspirational and heart-warming. Thank you for making an important part of humanity better known to mankind." Another email read, "Congratulation on your fine work Sir! You are really making a difference! God bless you!" Bach web cuts have been viewed on YouTube more than 165,000 times.

I am convinced that when this film is released, the power of the Bach playing in the documentary will uplift and touch the lives of many millions of people around the world.

As I now face the final stages of this effort, I must once again seek funding. I will need $40,000 to cover the cost of completing the Bach film. I still owe the crew for the last two shoots and will need funds to pay for the video/computer finishing, audio mix and DVD authoring as well as promoting the finished film.

Any suggestions or ideas for support in helping to complete the Bach Project would very much appreciated. I realize we are in a very difficult period and even small gifts would be a lifeline.

Richard Saul Wurman who founded both TED and EG just called to personally donate $1,000 to the project. Mike Hawley has invited the Bach Project back to the next EG to celebrate its completion. This Kismet story would not have happened without the support of Mike, Richard, EG and so many others.

If you can think of a friend or associate who might be interested in supporting this effort please pass on their contact information.

Thanks again for your enormous contribution to making this dream a reality.

The editing is moving along very well and over the weeks, I have cut lots of powerful segments for the final film with many wonderful surprises along the way.

I am reminded every day of how fortunate I am to have such rich material to work with. What an array of exceptional Bach players! Thanks to my talented crew the image quality and more importantly the sound quality is first rate.

During this stage of editing, I have been concentrating on just the performances and making the very best cuts possible for each piece that was filmed - all fifty-three of them. Everything from improvisations by Bobby McFerrin & John Bayless to entire cello suites by Matt Haimovitz and Zuill Bailey.

The initial web cuts were done very quickly but now I am approaching the footage in a much more careful and comprehensive way - essentially starting from scratch. I want to make sure that nothing is overlooked and that every nugget of gold ends up in the final film. I will choose from these music-only cuts in making the final documentary and also select many for the DVD bonus disk.

Phil Setzer of the Emerson Quartet cautioned me about using too much talking and to be sure and let the music take front stage. He is absolutely right and as I look back at the web cuts, I realize there was too much talking and not enough Bach.

I hope to have all the performance segments cut within a few weeks. Then I start cutting the final documentary.

I wanted to share one of these extraordinary music-only cuts but it has been difficult to choose just one. Below is a link to Chris Thile playing Bach's E Major Prelude from the 3rd violin partita. It is quite extraordinary!QuickTime- YouTube

Chris and Edgar Meyer have a new CD out that is terr- very innovative and like nothing I've heard before. The bass and mandolin make a great duo. Jake Shimabukuro sent me his new CD and it includes the Bach invention that he learned for the Bach Project. Sharon Isbin also has a new CD out featuring Mark O'Connor and Joan Baez. Béla and Joan will join an amazing array of performers at Pete Seeger's 90th birthday concert at the Garden on April 4th. Johanna and I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Thanks for all your help and support. I'll keep you posted as the editing continues.

wrote (July 17, 2009):
Hello Aryeh: The editing for the Bach Project is cooking right along. I am very pleased with how the film is coming together though my wife Johanna always warns me not to fall too much in love with the cuts. I now have 40 minutes of the film in very near final form.

The finished documentary will be somewhere between an hour and a half and two hours long. The bonus music-only DVD will be of a similar length. I plan on locking down the picture in November and then do the video finishing, mix and DVD preparation and manufacture.

The completed documentary will be featured at EG in Monterey, January 21 -23. Thanks to Richard Wurman (TED Conference) and Mike Hawley, the film was launched at EG'07. John Abele was kind enough to donate the majority of the production funds.

Though production ended several months ago, a new participant has joined the Bach Project. I am so pleased to include Robert Tiso's spectacular playing of Bach on the glass harmonica. He is an extraordinary musician and when you hear his performance of the organ Toccata in D minor you will never forget Robert's playing.

Robert lives in Bologna and the Bach Project did not have the funds to film him in Italy nor to bring him to the States for filming. Robert decided to make a DVD of his playing and he sent me the video files which I had converted from European PAL video formate to NTSC, the US video formate.

More good news for the Bach Project: Pioneering computer graphic artist Ken Knowlton is creating a mosaic based on the Bach Hausman portrait for The Faces of Bach opening segment of the film: http://www.knowltonmosaics.com/

The Bach coffers are down to a few hundred dollars; so if you know of anyone who might like to support this effort, please pass them on to the Handel Choir of Baltimore, the 501 (c)(3) fiscal sponsor for the Bach Project: http://www.mlfilms.com/productions/bach_project/funding

Hilary Hahn's performance of the Grave from the 2nd Violin Sonata will be the last web cut and should be up in a few weeks.

From which site:>Though production ended several months ago, a new participant has joined the Bach Project. I am so pleased to include Robert Tiso's spectacular playing of Bach on the glass harmonica. He is an extraordinary musician and when you hear his performance of the organ Toccata in D minor you >will never forget Robert's playing. <I look forward to the result, notwithstanding that:

(1) The glass harmonica was developed post-Bach, but in time for Mozart, as I recall. According to Grove (Concise Encyclopedia) the *modern* instrument was perfected by Benjamin Franklin in the USA, ca. 1761. He probaly stole it from the Russians, however.

(2) Tocatta in Dm (vampire music, per my spouse) is now very questionable, as suthentic J.S. Bach.

There was a glass harmonica manufacturer in the Boston area for many years. His name was Finkelheimer (sp?). His day job was fabricating custom glassware for lab work (also per my spouse, a client for many years). He disappeared mysteriously a few years ago, when he took off on a solo airplane flight, never to be heard from again.

Perhaps he is in heaven? Or considering thermodynamics and theologics, some other place? Either way, the glass harmoncia makes a heavenly, if not necessarily Bachian, sound. Often it makes no sound at all, and never without a bit of lubrication. It never sounds bad. I am striving for the same condition.

Josh Klasinski

wrote (August 1, 2009):
[To Ed Myskowski] How will this movie be availiable? At the cinema or via video rental?

Sounds like it will be interesting!...especially if it features a glass harmonica!

Paul T. McCain

wrote (August 1, 2009):> How will this movie be availiable? At the cinema or via video rental? <It is going to be released on DVD, for purchase, from what I can tell from the reports.

Bach Project DVD available January 2010

Michael Lawrence

wrote (October 5, 2009):
Hello Aryeh: I'm very pleased to announce that editing of The Bach Project is very near completion. The light is very bright at the end of this long tunnel. Feedback from close advisors and friends has been extremely positive and enthusiastic.

The film runs just under two hours and has turned out even better than I had hoped. I'm confident that it is the best work I have ever done. Of course it would never have been possible without all the many talented Bach players who have contributed to this effort. I'm convinced that our shared love for Bach has coalesced into a charmed production of which we can all be proud.

I now begin the final stages of preparing the finished film and DVD. Once the cut is locked down, I will finalize the picture and prepare the audio tracks for the sound mix. Berle Cherney (Visual Productions) will reshoot the still photographs on his computerized "Animotion" stand. Don Barto (Soundriven, Inc.) will do the final audio mix and Brooks Moore will supervise the video finishing as well as the DVD authoring at his Bonnemaison Productions.

The DVD of the documentary will be available in January 2010 and will include a second "BonDVD" with music-only, complete performances which will run about an hour and a half. So for instance, you will be able to experience Josh Bell's transcendent performance of the Chaconne in its entirety and without interruption.

It has been a long and magical journey. The Bach Project was originally launched at the EG'07 and Mike Hawley and Richard Saul Wurman have been kind enough to invite The Bach Project back for a celebration of its completion. The next EG will be held in Monterey, January 21-23. http://www.the-eg.com/

The Bach Project started with no funding in place and only a dream. With the generous support of so many, the project is now very near completion. Of the $30,000 needed for post production, $10,000 has been raised. I will still need to raise $20,000 to pay all the bills required to finish the project.

Once again, I must hold out my hand out and ask for financial help. If you know of anyone who might wish to make a tax exempt contribution to help finish the film, please have them send a check made out to The Handel Choir of Baltimore and designated for the Bach Project. Here is a link to the Bach funding web page: http://www.mlfilms.com/productions/bach_project/funding

Thanks for all your support and encouragement over the long haul of realizing this dream.

Warmest regards,

Mike

P.S. Current thinking for a title of the documentary is "Bach and Friends." What do you think?

Yesterday, I received a message from Michael Lawrence, the producer of the Bach Project movie:

**********************************************************************
Hello Aryeh: I'm very pleased to announce that editing of The Bach Project is very near completion. The light is very bright at the end of this long tunnel. Feedback from close advisors and friends has been extremely positive and enthusiastic.

The film runs just under two hours and has turned out even better than I had hoped. I'm confident that it is the best work I have ever done. Of course it would never have been possible without all the many talented Bach players who have contributed to this effort. I'm convinced that our shared love for Bach has coalesced into a charmed production of which we can all be proud.

I now begin the final stages of preparing the finished film and DVD. Once the cut is locked down, I will finalize the picture and prepare the audio tracks for the sound mix. Berle Cherney (Visual Productions) will reshoot the still photographs on his computerized "Animotion" stand. Don Barto (Soundriven, Inc.) will do the final audio mix and Brooks Moore will supervise the video finishing as well as the DVD authoring at his Bonnemaison Productions.

The DVD of the documentary will be available in January 2010 and will include a second "Bonus DVD" with music-only, complete performances which will run about an hour and a half. So for instance, you will be able to experience Josh Bell's transcendent performance of the Chaconne in its entirety and without interruption.

It has been a long and magical journey. The Bach Project was originally launched at the EG'07 and Mike Hawley and Richard Saul Wurman have been kind enough to invite The Bach Project back for a celebration of its completion. The next EG will be held in Monterey, January 21-23. http://www.the-eg.com/

The Bach Project started with no funding in place and only a dream. With the generous support of so many, the project is now very near completion. Of the $30,000 needed for post production, $10,000 has been raised. I will still need to raise $20,000 to pay all the bills required to finish the project.

Once again, I must hold out my hand out and ask for financial help. If you know of anyone who might wish to make a tax exempt contribution to help finish the film, please have them send a check made out to The Handel Choir of Baltimore and designated for the Bach Project. Here is a link to the Bach funding web page: http://www.mlfilms.com/productions/bach_project/funding

Thanks for all your support and encouragement over the long haul of realizing this dream.
**********************************************************************

Bach and Friends Almost Finished!

Michael Lawrence

wrote (November 25, 2009):
Hello Friends of the Bach Project: The editing is done! The film is almost finished!

Bach and Friends runs just under two hours in length. The music-only bonus DVD runs an hour and a half.

The two-and-a-half-year journey is heading to the video finishing line. Hopefully, the DVD will be released in January, 2010.

The audio mix for the documentary was completed last week. Don Barto and I spent 38 hours fine tuning the sound, and Don did a marvelous job. Next week we work on the mix for the bonus disk. One of my advisors said it is the best sounding documentary he has ever heard.

Vector, RGB, and Waveform video scopes have been flashing all week in my studio as I go through each shot to adjust the color and density - both for the documentary and bonus disk. Thanks to Richard Chisolm, Director of Photography, and the other talented lighting directors, the film looks as good as it sounds.

In a week or so, Brooks Moore of Bonnemaison, Inc., will prepare the final video files of the documentary - both for public screening via Blue-Ray high definition as well as the video file for the DVD authoring. Four translators are currently working on subtitles for the DVD in Spanish, Italian, German, and Japanese.

To give you a peak at the final documentary, I have uploaded a six-minute sequence from the final cut. It is Josh Bell playing the Chaconne. Augmenting Josh's comments, Mike Hawley tells of the life-changing moments in Bach's life.

All I need now are the funds to pay for video finishing Bach and Friends. Even the smallest of contributions at this point will be a life saver.

If you wish to make a tax-exempt contribution to help finish the film, please send a check made out to The Handel Choir of Baltimore and designated for the Bach Project. THE HANDEL CHOIR OF BALTIMORE is
THE BACH PROJECT non-profit sponsor 501(c)(3)http://www.handelchoir.org/http://www.handelchoir.orgFOR DONATIONS TO THE BACH PROJECT CONTACT:Handel Choir of Baltimore
3600 Clipper Mill Road Suite 150
Baltimore, MD 21211
410-366-6544
Email:molly@handelchoir.org

wrote (December 29, 2009):
Hello Friends of the Bach Project: I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season.

On Sunday, Josh Bell took time out of his unbelievably busy life to come to Baltimore to work will me on the final cut of his performance of the entire Chaconne for the Bach & Friends bonus music-only DVD. The editing went very well and Josh has given me approval of the final cut. Josh has never before recorded this transcendent masterpiece and when you hear his performance, you will never forget it.

Mike Hawley has put together the program for EG'10 which will feature the completion of the Bach Project. Johanna and I will attend. Here is a list of presenters for this year's EG: Bach & Friends at EG'10

The Bach Project was launched and secured initial funding from John Abele at EG'07.

The holidays have been a hectic time for the completion of work on Bach & Friends. There have been lots of technical problems. The subtitles files (Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese and English) have not been loading properly into the DVD authoring program that I have been working with and two days before Josh was scheduled to come to Baltimore, my main editing Final Cut Pro computer, a Mac G4 died. I could not afford to buy a new Mac so I borrowed another Mac Pro II from Brooks Moore, who will do the video finishing for the DVD. After a hectic couple days of setting up the new Mac system, it was ready for editing with Josh.

The good news is that the manufacturing of DVDs is on schedule for January - barely.

So as we approach the new year, I could not be more thankful. I still have a pile of Bach bills that I can not pay, so if you know anyone who would like to contribute to the effort and receive an end of the year tax credit, please send them my way.

The next Bach & Friends email that you will receive will be the announcement of the availability of the DVD.

wrote (January 27, 2010):
Hi Aryeh: EG was terrific this year. Bach & friends had a prime-time slot on the evening of the second day. The opening 5 min. of the doc looked wonderful on the big screen and the sound was first rate. After the clip, I spoke briefly and then introduced Richard Stoltzman who played the Chromatic Fantasy to a standing ovation. Unbelievably, Josh Bell also flew in the day after his Live From Lincoln Center broadcast and was there to also represent Bach an Friends. It couldn't have gone better. Lots of interest and Buzz.

wrote (March 20, 2010):
Hello Aryeh:
Symphony Space has given BACH & friends a wonderful present for Sebastian's 325th birthday. The New York premiere of BACH & friends will take place on Sunday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Symphony Space's Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. It will be a marathon Bach evening! The documentary will be followed by a screening of the complete performances bonus disc. We have just begun to plan the gala event and hope that many of the participants in the film will join us for the celebration. The screening will be open to the public. The film will also be screened on the following two Sundays, May 23 & 30. We hope to have lots of BACH & friends performers at each screening.

BACH & friends has been entered in a dozen film festivals including Toronto, Silverdocs, Los Angeles, London, Seattle, Cannes Independent and Chicago Film Festivals. I am currently working on setting up premieres in San Francisco, Washington DC, and Baltimore. A prominent art house booker has made an offer for a theatrical run, and Sony Entertainment is considering distributing the DVD.

Within the first six weeks of release, BACH & friends has received favorable reviews from The Washington Post, The Arts Journal, The Huffington Post and The Baltimore Sun. Over two dozen other print and web reviews have given the documentary enthusiastic reviews (Comments on BACH & friends.)

Today, the new Bach Museum in Leipzig opens after two and a half years of renovation. Clips from BACH & friends will be part of the celebration and permanent exhibit.

wrote (June 16, 2010):
Hi Aryeh: The world premiere screenings at Symphony Space were amazing in many ways. The size of the audience at each screening was beyond expectation and what an experience to view the film with audiences for the very first time. Spontaneous applause broke out several times during the screenings and the end applause was long and enthusiastic. Of course I was preaching to the choir but the people really seemed to like the movie.

Mike Hawley served as host and the live Bach playing after each screening created a wonderful Bach celebration. Zuill Bailey, Simone Dinnerstein, Gene Drucker, Richard Stoltzman, John Bayless, Matt Haimovitz and Hilda Huang all played some Bach (see video below). Hilda just won a major award in Germany - the youngest and the first American to win at Wurzburg.

Richard Saul Wurman (creator of TED and EG) was an honored guest. He was the person most responsible for the film being made. It felt like close friends gathering together for a very special party.

Yesterday, I received an email from Patty Gessner. She is the former director of marketing for the San Francisco Symphony and now executive producer for the San Francisco Classical Voice.

Patty has set a date for the San Francisco premiere of BACH & friends on July 14th at the Sundance Cinema Kabuki Theater - a great follow up to the New York premiere at Symphony Space.

This event will be a fund raising screening for SFCV - an essential classical music hub for the Bay. I will be attending and hope to have one or two players from the film join me for this West Coast premiere.

Peawill sponsor the Baltimore premiere at the Charles Theater in the Fall.

Great Performances is considering the film for a PBS broadcast and Anya Grundmann at NPR Music has requested a DVD. Apple's iTunes store is considering streaming the documentary thanks to Mike Hawley’s friendship with Steve Jobs.

The San Francisco premiere of BACH & friends will take place on July 14th at the Sundance Cinema Kabuki Theater - a wonderful follow up to the New York premiere at Symphony Space. The San Francisco Classical Voice will sponsor the screening as a fundraiser for SFCV - an essential classical music hub for the Bay Area. KDFC-FM (the most popular classical station in the U.S.) will be the media sponsor. Patty Gessner, the former director of marketing for the San Francisco Symphony and now executive producer for the San Francisco Voice is a big fan of BACH & friends and has set this up. Johanna and I will attend this West Coast premiere and I'll participate in a question and answer session before the 7 p.m. screening.

The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University (my alma mater) will sponsor the Baltimore premiere at the Charles Theater on October 3rd.

The world premiere screenings at Symphony Space (May 16, 23 & 30) were amazing in many ways. The size of the audience at each screening was beyond expectation and what an experience to view the film with audiences for the very first time. Spontaneous applause broke out several times during the screenings and at the end there was a long and enthusiastic standing ovation. Of course I was preaching to the choir (NYC music lovers) but everyone really seemed to like the movie (Reviews).

Mike Hawley (EG) served as host and the live Bach playing after each screening created a wonderful Bach celebration. Zuill Bailey, Simone Dinnerstein, Gene Drucker, Richard Stoltzman, John Bayless, Matt Haimovitz and Hilda Huang all played some Bach. Hilda (14 years old) just won a major award in Germany - the youngest and the first American to win at Wurzburg.

Great Performances is considering the film for a PBS broadcast and Sony Masterworks is exploring the possibility of distributing the DVD. Anya Grundmann at NPR Music has requested a DVD and thanks to Mike Hawley’s friendship with Steve Jobs, Apple's iTunes store is considering streaming the documentary .

wrote (July 29, 2010):
Hello Bach Lovers: Today is the 260th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach - July 28, 1750.

To celebrate and honor the Great One, BACH & friends shares a new segment that is not on the web nor in the film - Zuill Bailey's transcendent performance of the Saraband from Sebastian's 6th suite for unaccompanied cello (BWV 1012). Bach's remains may be buried in Leipzig but his music is alive and resonating from the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore, Maryland.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFOuksPoBqM

wrote (September 22, 2010):
Hi Aryeh: Hope your summer has gone well. I wanted to share with you a present that I just received from Leonard Maltin. It could not come at a better time as I begin to tool up to make BACH & more friends.

Mike

Hi Michael… I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to acknowledge your wonderful film BACH AND FRIENDS, but I’ve finally written about it on my website today, and I hope it brings you a few new customers.

wrote (January 14, 2011):
Hi Aryeh: I hope the new year is going well and bringing a sense of renewal.

I'm ready to take the plunge into BACH & more friends.

Originally, I had planned to follow BACH & friends with a movie on Mozart but the hundreds of email responses to BACH & friends has changed my mind.

It has been both heartening and revealing to receive so many interesting personal comments on the effect that the movie has had on such a wide range of people. I am especially warmed by the emails from young people who had not been classical music or Bach fans and now are listening regularly and buying Bach tracks on iTunes. One enthusiastic young viewer has now changed directions to purse the study of classical music as his career. Even the Bach lovers have expressed a reignited love and new perspective on Bach.

Other Bach fans wondered why there was no vocal music (chorals, passions and masses) in the film - especially since half of Bach's output was vocal. Others pointed out that they wished that I had included the ensemble music - the Brandenburg concertos, orchestra suites, Musical Offering etc. There was so much of Bach that I was unable to address in the first film due to limited funds.

I came to the realization that second companion film could add these elements and compliment the first film. I created a new web page that describes what I hope to accomplish with BACH & more friends. I'm pleased to have the prestigious San Francisco Classical Voice serve as as my non-profit sponsor.

Once again I face the challenge of raising the production funds needed to make BACH & more friends. I hope to raise $200,000 to support the expanded location filming. Since the first film has attracted such a large number of Bach lovers around the world, I am hopeful that funding for this more ambitious production can be realized. There is now an extensive audience that would like to see BACH & more friends get made.

I think the key to raising the Bach bucks will be to take a lesson from the social networking phenomenon and try to set up a wide network of Bach and music lovers who might like to be part of this effort. Perhaps you could pass this email or a link to the BACH & more friends web site to other friends or associate who might be interested in supporting this film with a donation.

Thanks again for supporting BACH & friends. With a little luck, some hard work and help from friends and Bach lovers, this companion film will get made. I'm convinced these two films will live on for a long time and continue to touch people's lives and help spread the uplifting power and humanity of Bach's music.

wrote (September 6, 2011):
There are a couple new and exciting developments on the horizon for BACH & friends.

First off, I just signed a contract with Maryland Public Television to sponsor a national Public Television broadcast of BACH & friends. This will vastly increase the film's audience and couldn't come at a better time as screenings and exposure for the documentary has been waning.

The way public television works, the producer is primarily responsible for finding underwriting so I'm emailing all my contacts in search of suggestions of potential corporations, foundations or individuals to approach.

I'm pleased to announce that on Friday, the first individual underwriting sponsor donated 8k in financial support for a national broadcast. If I can get 9 more individual donors or one corporate underwriter, BACH & friends will make it to Public Television. One down and nine sponsors to go!

Individual sponsors are listed at the beginning and end of each broadcast of the program. The underwriting corporation or foundation receives various amenities and tie-ins as well as a 15-second commercial on the heads and tails of each broadcast. MPT estimated that around 600 stations will broadcast the program several times over a two year period. I am especially pleased that BACH & friends will reach into classrooms across the nation as part of PBS Teacher Source.

The pitch to corporations, their brands and to foundations and individuals is that underwriting BACH & friends offers the opportunity to be associated with quality and excellence - world-class musicians in a celebrated documentary about our greatest composer.

If you can think of any individuals, corporations or foundations that I could approach please pass them on. Any suggestions or ideas are welcome and very much appreciated.

The other development is a BACH & friends iPad app that Mike Hawley is creating with my assistance. The idea is to make the great Bach app - one that goes farther than just an exploration of BACH & friends. Mike and I plan to include sheet music, links to web sites, blogs, mp3s, clips and all things Bach. We envision new interactive elements that will create a tool that hopefully will become the main mobil source for anything Bach.

If you could take a few moments to imagine what you might like to see included in such an app, Mike Hawley and I would welcome any suggestions.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Warmest regards,

Mike

P.S. You might enjoy this clip of Steve Jobs from my Library of Congress film: Steve Jobs Clip Recently, it has had as many as 10,000 YouTube views per day.